“I was just trying to hit the ball onto the court and make her run today. At the end, I’m very happy with how I played, with this whole week, actually.”

Kasatkina brought in the accumulated wear and tear of just over nine hours on court during the week, with the Russian blinking first in the final as she dropped serve to trail 3-2 on a wide return in the opener.

Kastakina saved three set-points to hold at 4-5 before the champion served out the opener after 44 minutes on her fourth opportunity.

The top seed immediately consolidated her advantage, breaking to start the second set and quickly racing away to a 3-0 lead as the reserves of Kasatkina began to drain further.

Svitolina made it 4-0 with ease and cantered to victory in just 70 minutes to earn the 11th title of her career. – AFP